What does it take to build a new American luxury car company from the ground up?

In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Kristie D'Ambrosio-Correll, Co-Founder and CEO of Dacora, to talk about what it takes to challenge one of the most established industries in the world and create a modern luxury automotive house built around beauty, craftsmanship, technology, and experience.

Kristie's relationship with cars started long before Dacora. She grew up working on cars with her father before studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, where she immersed herself in artificial intelligence at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. She later became CTO of MIRROR, helping bring the product to market and leading the company through its $500 million acquisition by lululemon. That experience gave her a firsthand look at what can happen when beautiful design and technology are built to work together.

Today, Kristie and her husband are applying those lessons to Dacora, with the ambition of creating America's next great luxury marque. John and Kristie discuss why American ultra-luxury may be ready for a resurgence, what the automotive industry can learn from Tesla's willingness to question everything, and how Dacora's coachbuilt model allows the company to focus on the elements it believes matter most to the customer while reducing complexity, cost, and time to market.

They also explore Kristie's evolution as a founder and leader, from a career driven by achievement and perfectionism to one shaped more by courage, resilience, and a willingness to take risks. Kristie opens up about the difficult pregnancy and birth of her daughter, how that experience changed her relationship with control and success, and why she now believes growth comes from the experiences you accumulate rather than the titles or security you hold.

About Kristie D'Ambrosio-Correll: Kristie D'Ambrosio-Correll is the Co-Founder and CEO of Dacora. Before founding Dacora, she served as CTO of MIRROR, helping lead the company through its $500 million acquisition by lululemon. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, where she studied AI at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. Today, Kristie and her husband combine a lifelong passion for cars with deep experience in technology and consumer products to build Dacora, reimagining the automobile around experience, personalization, and human connection.

About Dacora: Dacora is an American luxury automotive house creating a new vision for modern transportation centered on beauty, craftsmanship, personalization, and human connection. Its coachbuilt vehicles are individually commissioned, combining timeless design and exceptional materials with an AI-native architecture designed to quietly adapt to the people it serves. Since emerging from stealth, Dacora has built a reservation pipeline exceeding its planned first year of production and begun commissioning its first Founder Series vehicles.

About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in innovative private companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Xcellerant offers multiple investment vehicles, including the Jetstream Venture Fund ($5,000 minimum) and SPVs, while partnering with founders through capital, strategic guidance, and its broader network.

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